A fresh start

November 5, 2012

CANBY - It took a lot of work to get up and running, but it's been worth it, Kelly Ramberg and Saundra Snobl said. After all, there aren't many bakeries left that can say they started from scratch.

Ramberg and Snobl opened Kornerstone Kravings and Bakery in downtown Canby at the beginning of October. In addition to offering fresh baked goods, the business also offers specialty coffee, smoothies and other treats. Ramberg and Snobl said they also take special orders for cakes and all kinds of goodies.

"We have 60 different cupcake flavors, and we keep adding more," she said.

Article Photos

Photo by Deb Gau

Kelly Ramberg, left, and Saundra Snobl opened the beginning of October, and said they’re getting ready for the season of holiday goodies.

Getting the bakery up and running has been a huge undertaking, including about a year's worth of building renovations, the two women said.

The idea to open a bakery partly came out of Ramberg's experiences with her own baking business. Ramberg started out making treats with KnK Kupcakes, but the orders got to be too much for one person to fill.

"I got Saundra to help," Ramberg said. Then she started looking at opening a bakery, "And I asked Saundra to be my partner."

There is a learning curve going from making cupcakes to running commercial ovens, Ramberg said. But she and Snobl had help. Ramberg said Jeff Grengs, who was the baker at the former Canby Home Bakery, taught them a lot and helped with recipes.

"For three days, he came in and showed us everything," Ramberg said. They also bought some of the bakery's equipment from him.

Snobl and Ramberg said renovation work on the building that was to become Kornerstone started last winter.

"When we bought the building, part of it was apartments, and part was just storage," Snobl said. "Basically, we had to redo everything from the floors to the walls." Ramberg said a lot of the renovation work involved knocking out walls to make counter and dining space. They also had to build all new kitchen and storage areas, and Snobl said an office is still under construction.

"The end result was definitely worth it," Snobl said.

Kornerstone currently has nine employees to help share the workload, Ramberg and Snobl said. Everyone has their own areas of expertise, from making doughnuts to decorating cakes.

"We have a good staff, which helps us a lot," Ramberg said.

However, they said bakery work still means putting in some very early mornings. The hard part, Ramberg said, is staying awake to balance a family life in the afternoons and evenings.

Ramberg and Snobl said the community response to the bakery has been enthusiastic.

"It was crazy that first day," Snobl said of opening.

They had made 1,400 rolls that day and still sold out, she said.

Business isn't that intense every day, but Ramberg and Snobl said so far they have some faithful customers who come in for morning rolls and coffee.

Ramberg added that the only complaint has been that the rolls are too big - something she's still learning.

"We're kind of getting into our groove," Snobl said.

Ramberg and Snobl said they're also open to suggestions from community members as they keep moving forward. Ramberg said so far, customers have helped to suggest some new kinds of bars.

"We had a really good response on that," she said.

They plan to make the dining area at Kornerstone open for groups and meetings to rent, as well. As the season for holiday goodies approaches, Snobl said Kornerstone plans to host an event showcasing local vendors.

Kornerstone will be open from 6 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, with evening hours until 8 on Thursdays. Saturday hours are from 6 a.m.- 2 p.m.